Awkward
by Rather Preferred
Summary: So how exactly did Sasuke and Sakura's love story go down after all these years? Let's just say it took a little drama, a little passion, a little patience, and a lot of awkward moments. Blank Period. Canon compliant. Post 699 Pre 700. Post Sasuke Shinden. SasuSaku
1. Chapter 1: Heat

A/N: Hey guys! This is one of my takes on the mystery of how Sasuke and Sakura get together during the blank period! (Between Ch. 699 and Ch. 700). This used to be Chapter 2, but I've decided to leave Chapter 1 as a one-shot prequel. This story will take on a more serious, dramatic, and romantic plotline, although still lots of hilariously awkward moments, so no worries! This takes places after _Sasuke Shinden_ , AKA after The Last: Naruto the Movie. I'll try to be as Canon Compliant as I can! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Awkward…**

 **Chapter 1: Heat**

Sasuke and Sakura's relationship had been fairly good since he came back to the village. Team 7, with the inclusion of Sai, would spend time with each other training, eating at Ichiraku (at Naruto's insistence), or hanging around their old sensei at the Hokage's office. Sasuke was just getting used to being around his companions again, and Sakura was just glad he was there. She had grown even more than before, in the last couple of years during Sasuke's travels. She had become busy making huge accomplishments in medical ninjutsu, along with the maturity that came with age. Her confidence had grown, and she no longer felt the previous strain that came with her teammate being gone and consumed by evil. With everything combined, she hadn't given much thought to her feelings for Sasuke lately. She was content, and love wasn't really on her mind.

However, things had changed, since that fateful day... _The Incident_ , as it would come to be known. Hence, the tension _was real_.

After Sakura punched Sai through the window after his daring comment, everyone basically poofed the fuck out of there, and then Sasuke and Sakura started avoiding each other like the plague. Of course, this didn't last forever.

 _Ugh when will this heat just let up!_ Sakura sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she walked to the hospital. The weather was still scorching, and she'd given up on her usual attire, in exchange for a white spaghetti-strapped tank top and jean shorts, with her hair up in a messy ponytail. A couple of men whispered and smirked as she walked by, enticed by her toned and slim, yet curvy figure. Sakura rolled her eyes. Her beauty was known across the village, further than that even, as she had grown into a striking young woman over the past few years. Men were always making comments or coming on to her here and there, and normally Sakura would have had no problem punching their lights out, but today, she was just too damn hot to care.

As Sasuke was walking on his way to the Hokage's office, he looked around, taking note of the decaying grass and the cloudless sky.

 _Damn heat…_ His thoughts strayed to 'The Incident,' as they had been a lot lately, despite his efforts to suppress them. Images of Sakura, leaning in to quickly place his lips on his, came to mind, and he suddenly felt a bit of heat flush over his body. Not understanding the feeling, he glared. _Naruto is such an idiot, I'm going to_ k—BAM. Sasuke suddenly tripped, and found he had fallen face forward into the ground. Sasuke was confused. He didn't trip. Ever. It just didn't happen. Luckily something cushioned his fall…or some _one_. He heard a groan. Definitely some _one_. Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at the person beneath him…the _female_ beneath him…and not just any female…

 _Fuck._

Sakura groaned, feeling the pain from being knocked so suddenly onto the gravel, along with the heavy weight on her. She slowly opened her eyes to see dark orbs staring back at her. She froze. _What just happened?! Sasuke… actually tripped?_ She kept looking at him _…Why isn't he doing anything?_ She observed his stoic face. His eyes were wider open than usual. Sakura suddenly became uncomfortably aware of their position and the feel of their bodies against each other. Her mouth was only a few inches away from Sasuke's, as she opened it to speak.

"Sasuke…?"

Sasuke found that since he had realized whom he had fallen on, he had stopped breathing.

"…"

"Uhm...you're kind of squishing my..uhm," She looked to the side, cheeks slightly tainted pink. "…chestal…region..." She finished lamely.

Sasuke stood up within the second and looked away, hiding a slight blush. "Hn, you should have watched where you were going."

Sakura's blush disappeared, as she rolled her eyes and stood up. "I'm sorry," she said genuinely. Then she continued, "but technically you bumped into me too…" she looked up at him expectantly.

"…"

"…and it was a _bit_ painful…considering you _fell_ on me..."

"…"

Sakura sighed. _What's the point? Of course he's not going to apologize…he's Sasuke._

"Whatever Sasuke …sorry for _inconveniencing_ you," she said with a hint of annoyance, as she turned around and rubbed her back where she had hit the concrete.

He didn't respond, as she continued down the path to the hospital. _Tch…annoying._ He actually had no explanation for why he froze. For some reason he had a tendency to react differently around her than he normally would, ever since his most recent return to the village. His thoughts drew him back to one particular night…

* * *

 _Every once in a while, the original Rookie 9, along with some of the others would go hang at one of Konoha's night clubs, just to chill, have fun, and let out their pent up desires and frustrations. Although this tradition had mostly developed during Sasuke's multiple absences over the years, a short while after his brooding best friend's return, Naruto insisted on dragging him with him. He begrudgingly accepted, although his only real motivation was to maybe get a drink or two._

 _The two walked in together; however, before Sasuke could even gather in his surroundings, he saw a man flying across the dance floor and hitting the nearest wall with a loud crash. Everyone stopped moving to stare in the direction of the noise._

 _"Uh oh, not again…" He heard Naruto quietly say under his breath next to him._

 _Sasuke watched the crowd separate to allow room for someone. She walked slowly, with a swing in her hips that drew eyes towards her firm backside. Her stride accentuated her long, toned legs, which were exposed under her short, tight, black dress. The dress left little to the imagination, being completely backless with the halter around the neck morphing into a long dip down the front, revealing a large portion of her cleavage. She had a smirk on her face, and flipped her now flowing pink hair with a shake of her head._

Sakura _… Sasuke could very clearly feel his heart palpitating._

 _When she reached the man, she grabbed him and pulled him up by his collar._

 _"Excuse me, sir," she started with a slow, almost seductive voice. "Do you know who I am?"_

 _The man looked back into her emerald orbs, too terrified to speak. He nodded slowly._

 _"Well if you knew who I was, then I wonder, what could possibly make a man, such as yourself,_ _ **dare**_ _to grab my ass?" She raised an eyebrow, seemingly calm and collected._

 _"I ...uh…I didn't think-"He suddenly noticed her hand loosen from his collar, and decided to bolt. But he only made it a few steps before she swept up behind him, pulled out a kunai from under her dress, and wrapped her arm around his neck, blade up against his skin, all within a couple of seconds._

 _"Ah, you didn't_ _ **think**_ , _" she said close to his ear. "Well sir, I hope you learn to_ _ **think**_ _, because this is the last time you fuck with_ _ **Sakura Haruno**_ _," she emphasized by poking the kunai into his skin, releasing a drop of blood._

 _"Y-yes m-ma'am," he responded, squeezing his eyes shut at the feel of the blade._

 _She then leaned in closer, and almost whispered, "Run."_

 _As soon as she removed her hold on him, the man made a beeline for the door and sprinted for his life._

 _Sasuke suddenly felt the room had gotten hotter, in addition to a new, foreign sensation around the lower region of his abdomen. He sensed his blood rushing downwards…_ _ **What**_ _was happening?_

 _Basically, that was the hottest fucking thing he'd ever seen._

 _If he really thought about it, he'd have known, but not being used to -or caring for- situations that would cause such a hormonal reaction, he refused to let his thoughts consider such a possibility._

 _"-HEY, BASTARD!"_

 _Sasuke was abruptly shaken out of his current state as he noticed his annoying blonde excuse for a best friend yelling and waving in front of his face._

 _"What is it, idiot?" Sasuke looked at him with bored annoyance._

 _"Are you serious, I've been yelling at you for like, TEN YEARS! You've just been standing there!"_

 _Sasuke was surprised-although he wouldn't admit it- that he'd totally lost track of things for a moment. "Tch, whatever," he said, looking away from Naruto, and casually walked towards the bar with his hand in his pocket._

 _A short while later, Sasuke was leaning against the bar, sipping his scotch, while quietly observing the area. Naruto was of course in the center of the dance floor, getting really into whatever pounding dance music was playing at the moment, while their friends surrounded him, laughing or dancing along. Sasuke noticed the Hyuga girl blush, as Naruto grabbed her hand to join him. However, a certain pink-haired medic didn't seem to be in sight. Suddenly Sasuke was startled-in his own blank-faced Uchiha way- for a second time that night, as he felt a hand on his shoulder._

 _"Oh, heeey there Sasuke, surprised to see_ _ **you**_ _here," the voice said, a little taungtingly._

 _There she was, right next to him, in all her glory. Leaning on the bar with her face resting against her hand, she looked at him with the almost mischievous half smile she had when she was teasing someone. He couldn't help but give her rapid once-over, practically invisible to the naked eye, before shifting his eyes back towards the crowd._

 _"Hn."_

 _Her mouth shifted into a brilliantly beautiful grin, chuckling a little at his familiar go-to response, as she turned to face the crowd as well. "Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here. We miss having you around."_

 _Sasuke glanced over at her, not knowing exactly how to respond to her affectionate statement. He knew both she and Naruto wanted him to stay immediately after his battle with the blonde, and he really wanted to work on reforming the ties he has previously severed. However, he knew how necessary it was for him to have taken this journey. It was better for both him and them, in the long run. He still couldn't help but wonder how things were the past few years without him. He looked again at Sakura. Well he could tell_ _ **she'd**_ _grown in –ahem- certain ways…but how else had his companions changed? He thought back to the man flying across the room earlier. 'Not much.' He outwardly smirked._

 ** _"_** _Well, judging from what I've seen tonight, you seem to have been doing just fine," he finally responded._

 _Sakura laughed musically and turned to meet the Uchiha's handsome smirk. "Well, it would seem so."_

 _And they had a moment._

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed these hot moments ;) Please review! :D


	2. Chapter 2: A Mid-Summer Night's Weed

A/N: Sorry it's been over a year since I updated (for those who were reading when this was still attached to my original one-shot heh… ) Tbh reading other fanfics is what inspires me. I've kind of mapped out how the rest of this story will go. I'm not sure how long it will be. Then I already have another great idea for another fanfic that could be considered a sequel! Before that, I really should try to finish this though. So, on with it! :D

P.S. It was so sad for me not to write Neji in this story :'( I was considering just making him alive, but I wanted to be as close to Canon as possible. **Sigh.**

I probably won't refer to him in here either, it would be just too sad :/

Warning- this chapter may be a little more crack-y than the previous one, but it doesn't stay that way, I promise! Keep reading!

Disclaimer: _Naruto_ belongs to Mashashi Kishimoto

* * *

 **Awkward…**

 **Chapter 2: A Mid-Summer Night's Weed**

"You guys. This highlighter, I DIE."

The girls were at Sakura's apartment for one of their infamous squad sleepovers. (Or the S.H.I.T Squad, as Naruto jokingly liked to call it.) Ino was standing by Sakura's vanity with an arm full of makeup swatches, hence her dramatic statement. Tenten was flipping through the latest weapons magazine on the foot of the bed, while Hinata was tucked under the covers comfortably, holding a throw pillow against her chest.

Sakura walked out of her closet in her tank and pajama shorts, and suddenly Ino gasped, when she looked at her.

The others turned, and Sakura froze in her tracks, "What?"

"SAKURA. This is a crime towards women, EVERYWHERE. That is NOT your bra size."

Tenten rolled her eyes, murmuring "drama queen," and turned back to her article, while Hinata giggled.

"Ino, what are you talking about? I've been getting this size for years," Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Honey, your boobs are gonna pop right out of there. What size even is that?"

"Uhhh… 32B?"

"Oh HEEELLL nah," Ino marched up to Sakura, and pulled up her tank top.

"Ino!" Hinata exclaimed, as her cheeks tinted pink.

Sakura made a face, "Ino, what the hell are you-"

"Shhh, okay so I think the back size is perf, but you definitely need to go up like one or two cup sizes. You are most definitely supposed to be a 32C or D."

"What? Really? I always thought of myself as being on the smaller side. I guess I haven't really been paying attention," Sakura said, looking down at her own chest curiously.

"I mean, I'm not sayin' you got tig ol' bitties like Hinata, but you definitely got some medium orange-sized action goin' on."

"Oh shit, goals." Sakura laughed a little to herself. If she were 9 years younger, she would've leapt out of pure joy to finally have average-sized boobs.

Tenten decided to chime in and put down the magazine, "So if Sakura's are oranges, does that make Hinata's watermelons?"

Despite her now crimson cheeks, Hinata chucked a pillow at her, which Tenten swiftly dodged, while Ino and Sakura laughed.

"Nah, I think that's more Tsunade. Hinata's got cantelopes," Ino smirked.

"I guess that's a little more accurate," Hinata murmured as she hid most of her face behind the pillow.

"You guys, what IS this conversation?!" Sakura exclaimed between laughter.

Ino suddenly became more serious. "No guys, seriously she's right. All this fruit and no juice?!"

"Bruuuuh I got some juice!" Tenten interjected. "I almost forgot! I was waiting to tell you guys this tonight. I am LIVING. Okay so, I totally saw Kakashi at Ichiraku flirting with some dark-haired woman, but I couldn't see her face, and I only saw in passing."

"Okay, but Kakashi always flirts with random women, it's never anything significant," Sakura pointed out.

"But wait, it gets better. So like a couple days later I saw him talking to a woman, and then I realized I could recognize that hair anywhere…It was ANKO! I mean then I thought okay, whatever, that means it was casual. But then I kid you NOT, right before he walked away, he swept his hand over her ASS."

"NOOOOOOOO," Sakura bellowed in complete awe.

"Are you effing kidding meeeee?" Ino dropped into the chair by the vanity and covered her forehead in amazement.

Hinata's eyes widened as she removed the pillow from her face.

"Okay, but I'm not even done," Tenten continued, waving her hands in excitement.

"So THAT NIGHT, I was leaving Mitsuki's Restaurant after dinner with my mom. Then my mom said she left her bag in the restroom and asked me to go back and get it for her. They were actually closing, so there was no one left inside except the employees cleaning up and stuff. So I went back to the Ladies' room and opened the door. The lights were off, so I was about to turn them on, but… suddenly I heard… MOANING."

Everyone's jaws dropped.

"Oh God, please don't tell me…" Ino stared at Tenten.

"I stopped all my movement, and the door was only open a crack. A couple seconds passed by, and I was about to get the hell outta there, but suddenly the lights turned on. I hid against the wall, behind where the door opened, ready to transport if needed. But as soon as the door swung open, I swear on Madara's grave-"

"No," whispered Sakura.

"-out came-"

"KILLL MEEE." Ino covered her face.

"-Misss Anko-"

"AH AAH AAAAHH," yelled out Sakura.

"aaanndd MUTHAFUCKINNN' KAKASHI!" Tenten finally shouted.

They lost it.

"I- CANT- BREEEEEEATHEEEE!" Screamed Ino between pants.

Sakura was on the floor in tears, while Hinata was in fits under the blanket.

After a good 10 minutes of choking, the girls had finally settled down enough to continue normal conversation.

"Alright bitches," began Ino, "since we're on the topic of 'loooowwwvvvee', I need the updates."

"Oh yeah, hey Hinata, how's _Naruto_ Tenten asked her, wiggling her eyebrows in the process.

Even after their marriage, Hinata still blushed at the thought of her fairly new husband, "He's doing great, we always enjoy eachother's company" she blushed, while looking off to the side.

"Uhuh, that's all good and well Hinata, but we want to know what goes on behind _closed doors_ ," Sakuras emphasized with a smirk.

Hinata turned a full shade of red. "Uhhhmmm…"

"I swear Hinata, next time I'm going to ask Naruto directly himself! I want answers!" Ino exclaimed.

Tenten chuckled, "Alright you guys, let's chill on Hinata for a while, she's getting more action than the rest of us _combined_ , LEZBEHONEST."

"True AF," Ino admitted.

"But Ino, what about Sai?" Hinata asked.

"Oh, he's just a lil' flirt when it comes to women, he doesn't _really_ like me."

"I wouldn't refer to him calling me ugly as _flirting_ ," Sakura stated, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, Ino he's gonna pop up in your bed any second now," Tenten added.

Ino blushed, "Oh pleeeeeeease. Forget me, you suspiciously never talk about any guys. You probably low-key have _visitors_ every night."

Tenten reddened, "What?! Shut up Ino, you know that's not true. Listen, all I want is a suga' daddy who will support me in my dream of opening a weapons shop-AND don't even _think_ about suggesting my practical BROTHER Lee, Ino." Said girl closed her mouth, annoyed, having been cut off.

The rest of them laughed, before it became quiet for a moment. Sakura suddenly noticed all eyes were on her. "So…" she started, "is Kiba still talking to that Tamaki girl?"

The others exchanged looks.

"Alright Sakura," Ino decided to begin, "you know Kiba is irrelevant. Now don't get mad, I know I told you multiple times over the years to get over it, but…"

"Oh God, where is this headed?" Sakura asked with annoyance.

Ino gestured to the others, "We all agree, something is up in the Sasuke department."

"What? What do you mean? I don't-"

"And I don't mean on _your_ part."

Sakura was confused. Ino couldn't possibly mean what she thought she meant. Was she seriously implying that they saw something there? "Bitch, you're crazy."

"Okay listen though," Ino continued, "The vibes are so different now. Like he looks at you a lot! I swear!"

"Yeah, Sakura!" Tenten nodded, "And haven't you noticed how awkward it's been since the 'ice cream incident'?"

"Okay things would be awkward if that happened to _anyone_ ," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"But Sakura, that day at the club, when you wore that black dress and threatened that rando's life, Sasuke was _literally_ drinking you up! Okay, given it was in his own stoic way, but we've seen him for years, Sakura. He never used to give even a glance towards you! Everything has changed!"

"Since _when?"_ Sakura was still unconvinced.

"Since he came back from his travels," Hinata finally added.

"What?! Hinata, you believe this B.S. too?!"

"Man, you know if Hinata agrees, then shit is _real_ ," Ino pointed out.

Sakura stared bewilderedly back at her friends. _Are they insane?! Sasuke hasn't even been here the past couple of years since his last battle with Naruto. Do they really expect me to believe he came back after that and suddenly started seeing me differently? Give me a break._ She thought back to when he poked her forehead right before he left.

 _"I'll see you soon, Sakura."_

 _Last I checked, Sasuke isn't exactly good at socializing with other human beings. Weirdo._

"Whatever guys, I'll believe it when I see it," Sakura decided to brush it off. "He just actually acknowledges me as a friend now. MAYBE. If even." She rolled her eyes, "Let's do something actually fun instead of discussing the same dumb boys we've known since birth."

"What did you have in mind?" Tenten asked, intrigued.

"Uhm…pranking… someone maybe?" Sakura suggested uncertainly.

"Lame," Ino said, unimpressed.

"While drunk?"

"Hmmm… interesting."

"Wait guys. I have something way better," Tenten pulled out a plastic bag.

" _Now_ we're talking," Ino grinned evilly.

* * *

"Aaa, that's stuff," Naruto sighed as he relaxed into the hot spring water.

Some of the guys had gotten together for a late night training session, and they decided to unwind at the nearby bathhouse, which was sort of becoming a regular thing for them, given all the free time.

"So what is 'the scoop', everyone?" Sai asked with a smile, breaking the slience.

"Uh…the scoop?" Naruto asked, giving Sai a weird look.

"Yes, the gossip. It's customary in social gatherings to-"

"Uh yeah, I know what that is Sai, just…we're not girls heh…"

"Unless 'the scoop' refers to the beautiful ice cream incident that just happened," Kiba remarked with a smirk.

Sasuke's eyes shot open, having been disturbed from his relaxation, and directed a glare to the offending dog boy. He was perfectly content to ignore their useless conversation, but he did _not_ like where this was headed.

Naruto laughed, "honestly, _best_ moment of my life."

"How's that going by the way buddy?" Kiba asked Sasuke, smirking.

The dark-haired young man just stared back at him blankly.

"Come on, Kiba, don't be a drag," Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"What, no juicy details? Better be careful, Sasuke, I might just hop in on that," Kiba chided with a wink.

"I thought you had a bitch, dog boy," Sasuke finally said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kiba responded, a nerve popping in his forehead at the offensive term.

"Oh yeah, hehe Tamaaaaakiiiii," Naruto wiggled his eyebrows.

"Who is this Tama-?" Sai asked.

"NO ONE!" Kiba yelled. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go.

Sasuke smirked, while the others chuckled.

"Forget me," Kiba tried to wave it off. "I have some _legit_ juice, since you guys are so adamant in talking about this kind of shit."

"Do we _really_ need to talk about other people's personal lives?" Shikamaru inserted.

"Why, Shikamaru? Would you rather tell us how Temari is in bed?" Naruto teased with a giggle.

Shikamaru sighed, "Forget I said anything."

"Idiot." Sasuke was over it. Why did Naruto have to make _everything_ dirty.

"Sorry bastard, I didn't realize you weren't done talking about Sakura, care to continue?" Naruto said with an annoyance.

Kiba was relieved the focus was back off of him, as the bickering continued, but of course Sai just had to reinsert himself.

"I am still wondering who Tama-"

"KAKASHI IS FUCKING ANKO!" Kiba desperately blurted.

Silence.

"WHAAATT?!"

* * *

"Hehehehe,"

"Ino, what's so funny?"

"The guys are soaking their…"

"Soaping? Like in prison?"

"Oh my God, is this a gay bath house?"

"Shhhh, no no they're soaking their-"

"AAaahhhhh,"

"Sakura! My sis! My bitch! My birth mother!"

"What's going on?!"

"Sakura is dead."

"Noooooooooooo! Waaaaaahhh!"

"You guys, I'm alive."

"May her soul rest in peace."

"Bitch, she said she's alive. Sakura did you meet Hades? Was he hot?"

"No, I tripped on…grass."

"HAHAHAHAHHAAHHA"

"SHHHHH SHUT UP INO, YOU'RE GONNA MESS UP THE WHOLE PLAN!"

"Sorry Tenten, don't hate me."

"I love you, Ino!"

"I love you too, Tenten!"

"Aw fomo."

"Don't worry, we love you too Saki."

"AAHHH"

"Ino! You died too!"

"No I tripped on Sakura, I think."

"…" Hinata stared, wide-eyed, at the mess before her. What the fuck was going on here?! Excuse her language. She knew this was a terrible idea from the moment Tenten pulled out her baggy. Now here they were, standing a few feet away from the fence of the bathhouse, with no plan, she herself being the only sober one.

"Uhm…girls, I think we should head home."

"Hinata, you whore!" Tenten exclaimed.

Hinata stifled a snort.

"Ya, don't get your vagina in a twist, I have a plan," said Ino confidently from her tangled position on the ground.

"How do you twist a vagina?" Asked Sakura, having made herself comfortable in the grass.

"Simple, you just-"

"Okay!" Gasped out Hinata, not wanting to know where that was going. "What is this plan you had Ino?" She just wanted to get it over with.

"Well obviouslyyyy… we're going to dig a hole in the ground, and get under the fence!"

"Wow, you're so smart," said Tenten in admiration.

"Bitch, I know."

"I thought I was the smart one!" Pouted Sakura, folding her arms over her chest.

"It's okay, you can be the pretty one for tonight."

"YAY!" Ino and Sakura hugged…still on the ground.

Hinata looked at them worriedly. "Listen, I-I think digging a hole would be a bit illogical. But once we're in the batthouse, what are we planning to d-"

"Oh my tits, you're right Hinata! We can't go under, we need to go over!" Ino interrupted, standing up, determined.

"N-no, that's not what I-"

Meanwhile…

"Do the girls know that we can hear them…?" Kiba asked, turning away from the fence, towards the guys.

The guys all had confused expressions on there faces.

"What are they-" Naruto began to ask, but was cut off.

"LET'S GO HOES!"

Suddenly there are two hands on the top of the fence…then a leg… then two legs…

"Eeeeep!" Ino yelped as she landed on her bottom.

The boys all stared at her blankly.

"HUUAAAAHHHHH!" Suddenly the fence came crumbling, and standing there was none other than Sakura in a combat stance, an amused Tenten, and a morbidly embarrassed Hinata with her face in her hands.

A pause.

"WHAT THE EVER-LOVING FUCK ARE YOU GUYS DOING?!" Naruto yelled out, hands in his hair in disbelief.

"SAKURA, YOU HOE ASS BITCH, you ruined my smart plan!" Ino yelled, berating the pinkette.

"It's okay, Ino, she's the pretty one tonight," Tenten reasoned.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Sai smiled.

Kiba was on the verge of laughter.

"What a drag…" Shikamaru sighed.

"I'm so sorry, everyone…" Hinata managed to whisper from under her hands.

* * *

Hinata was told to take the girls to wait at the bathhouse entrance, while the guys went to change and give the owner an explanation for what happened. The old man was not pleased, to say the least.

The guys finally came out through the doors to see Tenten and Ino hugging, Sakura sitting on a tree branch while hugging the trunk, and Hinata looking miserable.

"So, Hinata, what exactly are these girls on?" Kiba asked, enjoying the spectacle of the oh-so-inebriated kunoichis.

"What do you mean?" Sai asked, curious as to what Kiba meant.

"You couldn't possibly think the girls are acting normal," Shikamaru said, rolling is eyes.

"They're on drugs." Sasuke stated bluntly.

"Just marijuana…" Hinata sighed.

"Damn! That must've been a strong batch of weed! Lowkey jealous…" Said Naruto, slightly feeling fomo. (A/N: Fear Of Missing Out)

"Ugh, I would _not_ want to deal with you high, Naruto. You're a pain in the ass as it is," Kiba inserted.

"Hey! You'd be worse! You'd probably start screwing your own dog!"

"What the hell?! Are you insane?!"

Shikamaru sighed. "Okay, enough chit-chat, I think we need to get the girls back home."

Ino and Tenten were still in an embrace and had both started to cry.

"I'm gonna fly, you guys!" Sakura suddenly yelled out.

Before anyone could even respond, Sakura was airborne.

Sasuke immediately rushed over and caught her before she landed and stared at the lunatic of a girl in his arms. (A/N: Okay in my story Sasuke agreed to a temporary prosthetic for use only on **occasion** :P) He took a little more time than he would've liked to admit and observed her flushed face, framed by strands of her hair from her ponytail. Then he noticed the feel of her thighs in his arms and her small… ahem, _very_ small pink shorts. His eyes then traveled back up to her tight, black tank top that exposed the bottom of her abdomen. Her neckline was low, he noticed, and it gave him a good view of her…

"Aw, you ruined it, you emo headass!" Sakura pouted.

Sasuke was suddenly brought back to reality and quickly put her down.

Naruto smirked, but chose not to say anything at the moment, especially considering the next thing Ino said.

"Sasuke! Did you see Sakura's oranges?!"

And with that, they all started to head back.

* * *

As he watched Sakura struggle to walk right, Sasuke couldn't help but to look out for Sakura, concerned that she'd get herself into some more mischief. It really was odd for him, as he had never seen Sakura like this, except sort of that night they were at the club and she got drunk towards the end.

Although it was uncharacteristic of him to be the one to start conversation with her, he couldn't help but say, "You know," he looked straight ahead as she strolled next to him, "I never would've expected you to get high, Sakura."

"Really?" Sakura giggled.

"Hn."

"Well," she paused to think, "I guess you wouldn't know because you haven't been around."

He slightly frowned as he glanced at her. He knew she wasn't in the state of mind to be seriously upset or anything, but nonetheless, he supposed she was right. It was honestly like he was getting to know this girl he'd known his whole life all over again. However, this time, he couldn't explain why, but he wanted to.

Then, unexpectedly, she stopped in her tracks, "Oh, em geeee! I see fireflies up ahead!"

Sasuke blinked, and she took off.

Naruto yelled out, "Sakura! Where are you going?!" But she had already disappeared somewhere behind the trees up ahead.

"I'll get her," Sasuke said, as he transported up ahead. As he got to his destination, he could sense Sakura's chakra signature, but he didn't see her yet.

"AAHHHHHHH!"

"Sakura," Sasuke jerked to his left, and ran in the direction of her scream.

He found her with her back pressed up against a tree, panting heavily.

"What is it?!" He asked her with immediacy.

"D-demon…" She managed to get out.

He almost rolled his eyes. He was done dealing with her high ass self.

Just as he was about to reprimand her, he suddenly felt the air become cold. Them the next thing he knew, he saw a flash of something and felt a very strange, unfamiliar, and dark chakra aura. Then, he heard the whimpering of an animal behind the tree in front of them. He carefully walked over. Then laying there, he saw a dead deer, with a gash in its neck, and drained of all of its blood.

Sakura walked up next to him and gasped, covering her mouth.

"Sasuke? Sakura?" Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto and the others jogging up to him.

"Sasuke, we felt something weird in the forest," Naruto said, as he looked down at the deer by Sasuke. "Whoah, what happened?"

Suddenly, they all heard ruffling of leaves, and the quick flashes of movement were back. They all looked up around them. Then after a moment, they heard strained breathing.

A sinister laugh resounded through the air.

Sakura, still under the influence and not really thinking about it, grabbed on to Sasuke, and buried her face in his chest.

Silence.

"Is it gone?" Sai asked, feeling the strange chakra presence fading.

Hinata suddenly gasped, "Look! The deer! It's gone!"

Sasuke tensed. How could that have happened right in front of their eyes, without any of them even noticing?

Then they looked back up, and they all gasped. In the shadows, were the most ominous, piercing violet eyes…

But everyone only blinked, and they disappeared.

The air warmed up again, but everyone was shaken.

"What the HELL was that?!" Naruto broke the silence as he yelled.

Sasuke lifted his hand to place on Sakura's back, and narrowed his eyes at the spot where they had seen the dark entity.

* * *

A/N: Whooooooahhhh. This story just took an interesting twist! I bet from how crack-ish this chapter was at the beginning, y'all didn't expect this! Anyways, I'm actually very proud of this chapter and had a lot of fun writing it. Next chapter will be more Sasuke and Sakura interaction and probably more serious. I actually plan to make parts of this story pretty dramatic, so stay tuned! I'll try my best to try and update soon! PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think! It's motivating! Anyways, till next time! :D


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